Out of Sight
by SETI-fan
Summary: Tony sees something Ziva wanted to keep hidden. Not as dirty as it sounds! Set in season 7. A hint of Tiva or just friendship if you prefer.


Out of Sight

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"I can't believe you didn't bring an umbrella," Tony said as the elevator doors closed.

"The weather people said only 20% chance of rain! The odds were against it!" Ziva paused in wringing water out of her shirt to swipe a string of wet hair off her face.

"Yes, but that's still a one in five chance of you getting stuck outside in the rain waiting for a ride since your car's still in the shop. Why didn't you just wait inside and have me call you when I got there?"

"I was outside at exactly 6:20. If you had been on-time, I wouldn't have had to wait at all."

"All right, fine. I'm sorry. If you want, you can borrow the change of clothes out of my locker."

"Thanks, but Gibbs probably won't give me time to go down to the locker room."

She reached over and shut off the elevator. Tony looked around warily.

"So, you're just going to take the ones I'm wearing now?"

"I have a change of clothes in my go-bag," she said, kneeling to get them out. "We're already late. What's another five minutes?"

"Oh, I'm sure Gibbs will let us know," Tony said, his scalp already bracing for a head-slap.

"Should have been on-time to pick me up, then." Ziva stood up and arched an eyebrow at him.

"What?"

She rotated her finger in a gesture to turn around.

"Oh, come on. There's nothing you've got I haven't seen by now."

"Turn."

He rolled his eyes, but turned his back to her. "Fine. Just hurry up." He looked at the buttons on the wall. "I wonder if we're pissing people off every time we stop the elevator like this?"

"Perhaps. I know how annoying it is to be kept waiting."

He rolled his eyes at the dig, but decided not to retaliate. Instead he let his eyes wander around the elevator. And that's when he noticed that he could make out her reflection in the silver of the doors, her back to him.

Oh, he shouldn't. He knew that. But… He let his gaze linger on her reflection. A mischievous smile spread across his face, but quickly shriveled.

She was pulling her shirt off over her head and he could see a cross-hatching of pink scars all over her back. Immediately he shifted his gaze away.

"All right, done," she said a moment later. He turned back to her, trying to put a normal expression back on his face, but he must have failed because she frowned at him.

"You peeked."

"I—" he stammered, trying to deny it.

She stabbed a finger at him. "You did. I see it."

Tony glanced down, checking himself.

"In your _eyes_!" she snapped. "The…pity."

"Ziva—"

She waved him off. "Just forget it happened. I did not want you to see those."

"Why? It's not like I don't know what happened. Besides, I thought fighters liked showing off their old badges of honor."

She shoved her wet clothes into her bag, not meeting his eyes. "Only when they are earned honorably," she said softly.

He crouched down in front of her. "Hey, you have nothing to be ashamed of."

She zipped the bag shut. "It is a time I do not like to think about. I just want to put it behind me and move forward. I did not want any of you to have to see that. How I am now…ugly."

Tony choked on a laugh. He held his hands up quickly. "Sorry. I'm not making fun of you. It's just, you do _not_ seriously think you're not sexy anymore just because of a few scars. I mean, come on!"

She glared at him, then nodded once. "Okay, maybe I chose the wrong word. But if I were to wear a bikini now or a backless dress, would people really look at me the same way? Or would it just be pity, or shock? And I'm not just being vain. I don't like that Saleem did something to me that other people can see, that I can't make go away."

Tony watched her quietly. "They'll fade."

"Perhaps. But they will not disappear. Not completely. I will always know they are there. A reminder of what happened…" She looked away again, then back at him. "…the one time I did not let you watch my back."

He felt the tension in the air getting thicker than either of them was comfortable with. "Well, Ziva, I promise, if you ever do decide to wear a bikini or backless dress, I will be ogling you with the utmost sincerity."

She punched him in the chest and pushed past him to start the elevator again, but she'd been smiling as she did so, so he considered it mission accomplished. They didn't say any more about it as the elevator continued up to the bullpen.


End file.
